Broken Melody
by Li Ying Fa
Summary: Ch. 5 up: Betrayal is hard to take, illusions are hard to shatter. The senshi are still reeling but ready for a fight. AUish, SenshiShitennou.
1. Prologue

Welcome to my latest attempt at fanfiction…It's been a long, long while I know, but It's been an interesting past couple of years for me so bear with me. My two other stories are currently on hiatus. Circle of Elements is undergoing a massive restructuring because I lost where I was headed and Brothers and Sisters is on hold for two reasons. #1 is that I have lost touch with the story and #2 is that my old computer crashed and burned and now I have a lovely new one with high speed cable internet (hooray)…In writing this story, I'm hoping to reconnect to my older ones a be able to continue on. My style of writing has changed, as I'm quite a bit older than when I started writing fanfiction so I hope it is a change for a better.

**Broken Melody**

_Prologue_

Belief…it is defined as having a complete trust in something or someone. It is the sense of knowing, without a doubt that something is true. It is something that a person develops as they grow and experience life, something that is unique to each individual that walks upon the earth. But what if your beliefs were tampered with, manipulated? What if everything you knew, everything you believed in, every memory was a lie? A lie created by those you trusted most? If you think that this could never happen to you, think again. I was once like you, and then something happened that turned my and my friends worlds upside down…our beliefs shattered and blown away like moondust. This as a true accounting of the events as told by us to a trusted friend. Please learn from our mistakes…


	2. Harder to Breathe

**Broken Melody**

Chapter One: Harder to Breathe

_Kamisama nante inai  
Dakedo dareka shinjitai  
Ima wa mada toki wo tomete  
Otona ni narenai kara_

_There's no such thing as God  
But I want to believe in someone  
Now still keep time at a stop  
Because I can't grow up_

It all began six months after the defeat of Galaxia, starting with one Hino Rei. The senshi had gathered at Rei's annual school festival to hear her perform a piano composition she had written for the event. Things had been proceeding smoothly when halfway through the piece, Rei faltered, hitting first one sour note, then another. She composed herself and continued on for another few bars when she suddenly slipped from the piano bench, grasping her head in pain, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. It was written off as a migraine created from the stress of preparation for the festival. Several days later, Minako had a similar episode, then Ami, then finally Makoto. It was after Makoto's episode that the senshi agreed that there must definitely be a link between the girls' headaches, yet the cause continued to elude them. The headaches continued among the inners for two weeks when the affliction similarly struck the outer senshi, beginning with Hotaru then moving on through Michiru, Setsuna and finally Haruka. The headaches grew with intensity as the days moved on but they could not seem to find an answer. Curiously, Usagi seemed unaffected by whatever was wrong with the senshi. The only things she experienced were slight dizziness and nausea whenever a headache struck a senshi. Tensions were high within the group as this mystery illness continued to plague them but the answers they sought would hurt them more than any illness could.

Three weeks had passed since Rei experienced her first headache on stage at her school festival. Three long, grueling weeks of some of the worst pain she had ever felt. And now she was sitting in her least favorite class of all, rubbing her eyes, trying to clear out some of the fuzziness she felt still lingered. She hadn't slept much last night, ever since the headaches had begun she had also been having nightmares of faceless people, fantastic animals, and a menacing shadow hidden by a bright light slowly taking something from her. She hadn't told the others about her dreams, they had enough to worry about with their own headaches. Despite the lack of sleep and the fuzziness, she still felt more energized than she had any right to be…like she had something just out of reach that would make everything better. Letting out a soft sigh, she returned her attention to the Sister at the front of the room who was talking about the Betrayer who gave up his teacher to the Romans. Suddenly, her world exploded in pain. She tumbled from her chair, biting her lip to keep from crying out. Blood trickled from her nose as she fought a losing battle with unconsciousness. Her teacher and classmates gathered around her in concern and the last thing Rei Hino saw before blacking out was the small vase of dried flowers on her teachers' desk bursting into flame.

Simultaneously, in Haruna Sakurada's classroom, three students known as Minako Aino, Ami Mizuno and Makoto Kino also fell from their desks, screaming and grabbing their heads before blacking out. In the panic that ensued, nobody noticed Usagi Tsukino moan and drop her head to her desk unconscious. Or noticed that the globe at the back of the room had frozen solid, one of the overhead lights begin to intensify then explode, or the tiny bolt of lightning that struck one of the basketball hoops just outside the classroom window. At Juuban Park, the small pond beside which Michiru Kaiou and Hotaru Tomoe had decided to have their picnic, began to swirl with a terrifying intensity, creating a whirlpool worthy of the deep seas as Michiru lay prostrate on the picnic blanket she had set out earlier. Hotaru was curled up in the fetal position, her body rapidly aging from the age of ten to the age of seventeen, catching up with the inner senshi in a manner that was far from painless. At the racetrack, Haruka lay by her motorcycle, unaware of the strong winds keeping the people who were attempting to help her far away. Setsuna Meiou was in her studio, working away at several designs that had popped into her head that she thought would be wonderful for some of her friends when the headache struck, around her, a potted plant began to shrink, reverting to a seedling then a seed while a stack of paper seemed to age rapidly, yellowing then crumbling to dust before blowing away from an unseen wind.

It was a dark day for the senshi, all their forces struck at once by these mysterious headaches, effectively leaving Tokyo open for attack. They woke up exactly one hour after they had blacked out, finding themselves in either their school infirmary or the hospital. After being released, each girl found themselves headed towards the Hikawa Jinja for an impromptu senshi meeting. Each girl except for Usagi however. Usagi had woken up ten minutes after falling unconscious on her desk and had been immediately sent home by the principal. Subconsciously, the other girls refrained from contacting her to inform her of their awakening. Consciously, they assumed that she was already waiting for them at the shrine. She was not.

The mood in the room was tense. Each sat apart from the others, looking either nervous or anxious or both. In the centre of the table sat an untouched pot of tea and platter of biscuits. Finally, Haruka broke the silence, "It isn't right. Usagi should be here. We can't hold a senshi meeting without the princess."

Setsuna eyed her speculatively, "Technically, the princess isn't a senshi but if you want to call her, go ahead."

Haruka went for her communicator then hesitated, glancing around at each of the others before settling back down in her previous position.

"I thought so," Setsuna said, "Every one of us knows that the princess should be here, but none of us are willing to call her to let her know. I think, instinctively, that we know that there is some sort of connection between the princess and the attacks we've been having."

"That's treasonous talk Setsuna," Minako growled.

"Can you deny it Minako?" Rei asked softly, "I don't want it to be true but we have to look at the evidence and consider it. Why is Usagi the only one not afflicted? Why does she get dizzy every time one of us has an attack?"

Minako backed down at the defeated tone of the normally fiery priestess. "We need to know what is going on before we go to the princess," Ami stated finally, "We want to have solid facts so that it doesn't seem like we're accusing her of anything. I'm sure that after we sort things out, she'll understand that we had to go around her for this one."

Makoto and Haruka, two of Usagi's staunchest protectors, grumbled under their breath a little, but said nothing to contradict Ami. "Where do we go from here?" Minako asked, turning to Setsuna.

"Honestly," Setsuna replied wearily, "I have no idea where to even start. Perhaps a scan of each of us would shed some light and then we can go from there. Ami?"

Ami took out her mini computer and began in-depth scans of each of the present senshi. As the results scrolled past her, her eyes widened and she began rapidly clicking files open and closed, making calculations and comparisons at a lightning pace. The others watched her with a growing sense of awe and concern. Finally, she looked up from the tiny screen, surprise evident on her face. "What is it Ami?" Makoto asked, worriedly biting her lower lip.

"I don't know how it's possible," Ami said slowly, "I thought our eternal forms were supposed to be our highest power level, but it seems our power level has jumped almost 30 in the last three weeks."

"Ever since the headaches started," Rei breathed.

"I don't feel more powerful," Hotaru stated thoughtfully, "But there's something…I don't know…It's like it's…"

"Just out of reach," Minako finished.

The girls fell into silence, contemplating the bombshell that had just been dropped. "Why didn't we see this sooner?" Makoto asked.

"I don't know," Ami replied, perplexed, "Luna and Artemis have better scanning equipment then I do, they should have recognized it when it started. I don't see how they could have missed something this obvious unless…"

"Unless," Michiru put in flatly, "They knew and purposefully kept it from us."

"Artemis and Luna would never keep something like this from us," Minako yelled hotly at the aqua haired senshi, "They've guided us since we were fourteen, they've been beside us always. They wouldn't hurt us."

"But their first loyalty isn't to us is it," Hotaru said quietly, "It's to someone else."

None of the girls had any reply for that statement. "What if it isn't over yet?" Rei asked, "Today was bad but it could get worse, we need answers and we need them now. Otherwise the next time we might not get off with just a headache and nosebleed."

"There is a spell…" Setsuna began, "It's dangerous but it might work. It would involve unlocking all our past memories at once. We might not know how to deal with what we're facing but I'm almost positive we_ knew_ how once."

Minako stood, a grim look on her normally cheerful features, "Let's do it then…we gain nothing if we sit around and talk around the subject. What have we got to lose?"

"Our sanity?" Rei questioned softly.

"Something like that could literally overload us," Ami put in, backing up Rei's comment, "But it's true, we need answers and we need them now."

"Then it's settled," Haruka said decisively, "We do the spell and worry about the consequences afterward. Anybody want to argue?"

The senshi looked at each other then shook their heads. Setsuna nodded to herself and then stood. "We're going to need to go somewhere a little more private. We can't be interrupted while the spell is taking effect or it could kill us and whoever interrupts us. I think we should head over to our house," she said, indicating the outers as she spoke.

"How long should the spell run?" Makoto asked, a little worried.

"A couple of hours at least," Setsuna replied, "When we get there you can contact your respective guardians and let them know that you'll be out studying or something with us."

"All right," Minako said, speaking for the others, "Let's get this done then."

* * *

And there we have it ladies and gents. Chapter one of Broken Melody is officially done. I'm rather proud of myself. Please let me know what you think. I like reviews. Really I do. I thought this was a good place to stop and chapter two is already in the works, although, I've been thinking of looking for a beta. Oh yes, and if anyone can guess where the first lines (the italicized ones, the romanji with English translation) comes from, they can win a special surprise! Well, whoever guesses it first. If no one does, I'll give a hint next chapter. Remember, please review…thanks to those who already reviewed my prologue…and Priscilla, see, I came back and wrote something, how about you now? Please? With a cherry on top? 


	3. Undone

**Broken Melody**

Chapter Two: Undone

Disclaimer: If I owned this I wouldn't be writing fanfic now would I?

_You're alive. Do something. The directive in life, the moral imperative was so uncomplicated. It could be expressed in single words, not complete sentences. It sounded like this: Look. Listen. Choose. Act._

_-Barbara Hall_

* * *

The home of the Outer Senshi was a vast mansion on the outskirts of Tokyo. A classical design with sprawling grounds, it afforded the secretive group the privacy that they craved and needed, given their "night" jobs. The younger Inner Senshi continued to be impressed by what the Outers called home, despite having come over numerous occasions to either train or just hang out. Today, however, was a different story. Today they were taking their destinies into their own hands.

Setsuna led the sombre group into the basement of the estate, where she had covered all the windows, swathing the room in darkness only broken by several strategically placed candles. Pillows lay scattered in a loose circle on the floor and there was a faint hint of incense in the air. Haruka raised her eyebrow in question, "Isn't this a little much, Setsuna?"

Setsuna merely gave her a tight smile, "It's necessary, trust me. This is a very sensitive spell. I need everyone to select a pillow and settle in. Once the ritual is started, it can't be stopped, we'll be out for a couple of hours at least."

"Sooo," Minako cut in, trying to lighten the situation, "If you need to go to the bathroom go now?"

Everyone groaned at her poor attempt at mirth. "If we're quite ready then?" Setsuna sighed.

Nods came from everyone and the girls seated themselves as comfortably as possible. "All right," Setsuna began, "Everyone hold hands and clear your minds. Listen to only the words that I am saying. Focus on them, repeat them in your minds and in your hearts: _Eles an chronos. Helet an pacia. An chronos est helenest pacia vacarre."_

Once the girls had the incantation down, they continued to chant until one by one, the slipped from the circle, falling back into the pillows they had chosen, lost in the past they had once forgotten.

_Rei_

"My Lady? My Lady, all you alright?"

Rei opened her eyes and turned to face the person addressing her. Unsure of what exactly was happening, she was surprised when she answered the woman before her. "Yes Phobos, I'm fine. My mind just wandered for a moment."

"You haven't forgotten your meeting have you?" Phobos asked her mistress worriedly.

Rei smiled at her companion, "No I haven't and I wasn't hiding from it either. I was just on my way now."

"Very good my lady," Phobos curtsied, "Would you like me to accompany you?"

"No, that will be all," Rei found herself replying, "This meeting will probably take some time. Why don't you find Deimos and get yourselves something to eat?"

Phobos curtsied again and hurried off down the hallway. As Rei headed in the opposite direction, she realized that she was observing her past from her own point of view. She had thought she would experience it like a movie but she supposed that this made more sense. She decided to sit back and go with whatever happened.

At this point, Rei came to a large set of oak doors engraved with the various planetary symbols. Placing her hand upon the symbol of Mars, the doors glowed for a moment then swung open. Inside was a round chamber with nine large chairs surrounding a circular table. Each chair was designated to a planetary official, and thusly decorated in that planet's symbols. Rei sat in the one meant for herself and placed her hand on the red jewel embedded in the armrest. It began to glow. Moments later, the blue jewel on the seat designated to Mercury began to glow and a holographic image of the Lady Mercury appeared, seated as Rei was. "Enya," Lady Mercury acknowledged Rei with a tilt of her head, "Early as always."

"Of course Hermia," Rei replied, wondering if Ami was also present at this particular memory, "I do have a reputation to keep up."

One by one, the jewels on the remaining chairs began to glow as the other members of the council came online. Only one chair remained dark, the one belonging to the Earth. The Lady Venus, commonly known as Aphrodite, who had called this meeting of council, began the proceedings, "You are all probably wondering why I have asked for this meeting, and hopefully you will all agree with what I would like to share. As you may or may not know, I have formed a friendship with the Moon Queen. The Terran one. Her people are actually quite like the Venusians and they have a tendency to keep an eye on the Terrans, which, as we all know, is a good thing to do. In any case, the Moon Queen is with child and I thought that we could give her a gift. She has some latent illusionary abilities which are fine for minor defence but I figured that we could come up with something for her that would make her less dependent on us for her satellite's survival."

"Maybe a resonance crystal to enhance her existing abilities," Hermia mused.

"Are we sure that's a good idea?" Rei heard herself ask, "Can we really trust this Moon Queen?"

"Of course we can trust her," Aphrodite replied indignantly, "I trust her...and if an empath cannot trust a person who can?"

"Or even just a shield around her moon..." Hermia continued muttering to herself, turning possibilities over in her mind.

"Look," Lady Jupiter, Ayla, interrupted, "It's the first time in centuries that a baby has been born to planetary nobility, so we're expected to present her with something, why not something useful?"

"I still think this is a bad idea," Rei said crossly.

"Well, I think it has merit," Lady Pluto spoke up after weighing the options and possibilities herself. "And Hermia was onto something with the idea of a resonance crystal, if we could tune it to her, particularly while she is with child, we could ensure that only she or someone of her bloodline would be able to use it. We wouldn't have to worry about it falling into the wrong hands."

"Exactly!" Aphrodite said gleefully, "Hermia, Sophie, you're both geniuses! This crystal thingy will be perfect...except...how will we make it?"

* * *

AN. So here it is...chapter 2...it is currently 2am, I'm tired and I should be marking exams...hopefully I'll get another chapter of this out and one of Brothers and Sisters within two weeks. No promises though, there are exactly two weeks left of school then I'm unemployed for two months so there may be more this summer...review...it might encourage me to blow off my marking and write some more. 


	4. Hurt

**Broken Melody**

Chapter Three: Hurt

Disclaimer: If I owned this I wouldn't be writing fanfic now would I?

_Anything may be betrayed, anyone may be forgiven, but not those who lack the courage of their own greatness._

_- Ayn Rand_

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* * *

_

_Ami_

It was one of their greatest achievements really. A multi-faceted resonating crystal created by an amalgamation of each planet's powers, forged in the fiery depths of the solar core in order to properly fuse the power. Saturn, Pluto and herself had worked to for a solid week on the design alone, ensuring that none other than the Moon Queen and those of her bloodline would be able to use the crystal. It had taken all of Venus' charm to convince the others (particularly the far-from trusting Mars and Neptune) to contribute a tiny portion of their powers to the final effort. _The effort was worth it,_ Hermia mused, rolling the large crystal about in her hand, examining how the light refracted through it, _this thing truly is a part of each of us, yet separate. I hope that the Lunar appreciates this._

Setting it back down in its case, she closed the box and stuck it in her cloak pocket. She needed to get going if she was going to make it to council on time. Unlike the most recent councils, this one would be face-to-face, with each of the planetary leaders meeting on Jupiter. The purpose of this final council was to demonstrate the final product before it was presented to the Moon Queen. In a swirl of blue light, she vanished from her workroom, headed towards her destination.

_

* * *

_

_Minako_

_ It was really quite interesting, being trapped in one's own past life, _Mina mused to herself. She felt like this had been going on for quite some time and was getting worried that the same amount of time was passing in the real world. _What'll my parents think? I've been here for weeks already watching my own life. This is too freaky!_

She was just starting to work herself up into a full-fledged panic when she was interrupted by a familiar voice, "Aphrodite? We need to get going. Remember, this was your idea."

She looked up smoothly to see the Lady Mars heading down the hallway to her. "Of course Enya," she replied, "I was simply waiting for you."

Mars arched an eyebrow in response and Mina felt herself colouring. "Well, then, now that you have **_finally_** arrived Lady Mars, shall we be off?"

Her only response was a faint chuckle as Mars turned around and headed back the way she came. All Mina could do was scramble to follow her friend.

Their teleportation point took the two women directly outside the grand ballroom of the Lunar Palace. It was here that they met up with the remainder of the Planetary Rulers. They had decided amongst themselves that since it was Venus who had the initial idea to create the gift for the queen, it would be her who spoke as the main representative. Venus took her place at the front of the group and held the crystal case tightly, awaiting their announcement into the ballroom.

** "The Council of Eight"**

Venus winced. They rarely, if ever, used that archaic title to describe themselves. That the Moon Steward used it now could be considered an insult to them. Taking a quick peek over her shoulder, she was glad to see that the majority of her peers were expressionless at this oversight. Schooling her own features into her trademark bright smile, she turned back around and swept into the ballroom, the others following in a diamond formation behind her, heading up to the dais where the pregnant queen sat and giving a customary curtsy. "Your Highness," Venus began, "On behalf of the Planetary Council I would like to offer you our congratulations and present you with this token."

The Moon Queen bestowed a benevolent smile upon her guests, "My kingdom is honoured to have the birth of its heir blessed by the Council. We welcome you most graciously and offer our sincere thanks for this gift."

Internally, Minako rolled her eyes at this. _Sheesh, Queen Serenity could lay it on thick back then. I still can't believe how much older we actually were than Usagi._

Queen Serenity opened the case and the crystal, recognizing the person it was meant for, gave off a soft glow and rose out of its' box. The queen gave a soft gasp, "It's lovely, but, what is it?"

At Venus' nod, Mercury stepped forward, "We called it the Illusion Silver Crystal Your Highness. In actuality, it is a focusing and amplifying tool that will boost your latent abilities to a higher level, allowing you to protect your planet without assistance from the Terrans or ourselves. We tuned it specifically to your genetic code so that no one could use it save for your bloodline. In fact, the more you work with it while pregnant, the stronger it will resonate with your child."

"This is a wonderful gift indeed," Queen Serenity replied, not taking her eyes from the shining crystal before her, "Most wonderful."

From the corner of her eye, Venus saw Mars, Pluto and Neptune exchange fleeting, dark looks.

_

* * *

_

_Author POV_

It was so slow, so unexpected, and so insidious that none of them saw it coming. It started small, one day, an attack would have less power and the woman utilizing it would chalk it up to fatigue or lack of concentration. Then, a few weeks later, an attack that would level a mountain would barely make a mark. A spell that one would use on a daily basis would cease working. Three months since the creation of the crystal had passed and the Planetary Council was so reduced in power that they had reverted to their first-stage abilities, ones that they hadn't used in over a hundred years. Even their appearances and experienced a regression to that first-stage, leaving them in what would be considered their late teens in Terran terms. At this point, they had no problem figuring out the source of their troubles.

_

* * *

_

_Rei_

"It's the Lunars, It has to be!" Sora, Lady Uranus shouted, banging her fist down on the council table.

"We don't know that for sure," Venus said quietly.

"All evidence points at her," Mars grimly replied, "This **_regression_** didn't happen until we gave her the crystal. It was created by our powers. She may have found a way to exploit that connection."

"Impossible," Mercury interjected, her face flushed, "I triple-checked that the thing was no longer tied to our specific abilities. There should be no way for anyone to re-forge those connections."

"What if she isn't tying into our specific abilities but the wellspring of our power," Saturn questioned, "If she was able to sort out our individual planetary signatures from the main fusion, she might be able to tap into our power directly."

"We fused them in the solar core;" Pluto replied hesitantly, "For her to be able to do that, she would have to have been a higher lever magic user than what she presented to us."

"That's assuming she did this on purpose," Venus put in firmly, "What if all of this is some big misunderstanding?"

The faces around the table were alternately doubtful and suspicious. _I didn't expect this_, Rei thought, _Could Queen Serenity have betrayed us all?_

"Based on the rate that our abilities have been disappearing, the likelihood of this being one being one big misunderstanding is pretty small Aphrodite," Neptune said softly, not meeting Venus' eyes.

"I can't believe it," Venus replied, "She's my friend. I sensed nothing wrong whenever I spoke with her. I trusted her."

"We have to confront her," Mars stated, "That's the only way we'll know for sure. Is everyone agreed on that?"

Nods came from all around the council table. "Should we wait until the Princess' naming day celebration?" Saturn asked.

"No," Venus answered firmly, "We need to do this now. Before any more power is lost."

_

* * *

_

_Author POV_

The Moon Queen Serenity was seated in her throne, her newborn daughter sleeping in a bassinet by her and the Moon Wand, holding the silver crystal, clutched in her hand when the Planetary Council arrived. The pleasant smile never left her face as the hostile looking group of eight approached her without proper protocol. "The Council of Eight," she said placidly, drawing her eyes over each of them, "You're all looking quite well. To what do I owe the honour of this visit? It is most unexpected."

Uranus snorted in disbelief and the Queen narrowed her eyes at her. "I think you know full well why we're here, _Your Highness,_" Mars answered tersely.

"Oh my," Serenity responded, "Such rudeness. However, I'm willing to overlook that since you have all arrived here to pledge yourself and your planets to my rule. So thoughtful of you really, wanting to re-create the alliance with me at its head."

Most of the women just gaped at the pure arrogance that the Queen radiated with this statement. It was Mars who recovered first, "Pardon me but…WHAT?"

Serenity sat forward in her chair and brought the wand before her. The crystal flashed and suddenly the entire council was on their knees. "I've had some time to think since we last met and you presented me with this lovely little trinket. As it turns out, I was able to use this amplifier to enhance my magical ability enough that I could sort out your powers within it. Once I could do that, all I had to do was slowly draw it out and bind it to my own. The more power I drew in, the more it amplified, the more I could take in from you. The beauty of it is that since I was using your own power against you, you wouldn't notice until it was too late."

Incensed, the Council attempted to get to their feet. The crystal flashed again and they were wracked with intense pain, prostrating them on the floor before the Queen.

"I wouldn't do that again," Serenity warned, her tone still eerily calm, "I don't want to hurt you. We are friends after all. So here's what's going to happen. You are going to make an announcement at little Serenity's naming day ceremony stating that you are integrating the Moon into the Planetary Council and have voted me as Head Consul. You will all swear fealty to me and my kingdom. Venus, Mars, Mercury and Jupiter, the four of you are to be the guardians of my daughter, her senshi. Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn, you will act as the System Defence. It will be up to you to protect the Sol System from outside threats. Pluto, you are hereby banished to the Gates of Time that your people love so well. You will be allowed to retain your first-stage abilities and that is all. You will report to no one but me. If you serve me well, I might allow you to access your second stage. Attempt to disobey me in any way, I will drain you completely of your powers, cutting you off forever from your planetary connection, and leave you in the asteroid belt for eternity. Your people will be enslaved and used to serve the Lunar peoples and our army. Anyone who does not fall in line will be executed while you will be alive to witness their deaths, knowing that it is all on your heads. You have the two days until the ceremony to make you decision. Now get out of here, it's time for the Princess to be fed."

With a wave of her hand, all eight women of the council were transported from the throne room in a demonstration of the Queen's new power.

* * *

Every display and information centre on the Eight Alliance Planets was locked on the transmission coming from the young Lunar Princess' Name Day Ceremony. Commerce was halted, schools were closed, and people stayed in, reeling in the shock of the announcement they had just viewed. 

**_ "I, Lady Aphrodite Calais Venus, in accordance with all members of the Council of Eight of the Planetary Alliance, representing the vote of each member, do hereby announce the entry of the Lunar Kingdom into the alliance, hereby renamed the Silver Alliance. In addition, through the council, each planet here swears fealty to the Lunar Kingdom and its' Queen, the new leader of the Silver Alliance. We ask our planets' cooperation in this time of transition."_**

_

* * *

_

_Rei_

_ Swing, duck, thrust, parry,_ Mars thought to herself as she went through the sword drill for what seemed like the hundredth time.

Since Serenity's announcement she and the other three inner senshi (as the queen deemed them) were expected to live at the Lunar Palace and devote themselves to the protection of the Princess. _Never mind that we have our own planets to worry about,_ she thought angrily, _I miss home, I miss Phobos and Deimos. I hope running things isn't too hard on them._

She was interrupted by the now sixteen-year-old Princess Serenity running up to her. Watching her expectantly, Mars' patience was rewarded as the young woman tripped over the long hem of her gown. Rather than rise again however, the Princess sat there, the beginnings of a pout evident on her features. Mars shook her head and walked over to her charge, dropping to the ground beside her. "Did you need me for something Your Highness?" she inquired.

Serenity gave her a haughty look for a second that soon disappeared, "Why do you always have to be so formal Mars? Why can't you just call me Serenity? None of you do. It's always Your Highness, or Princess, or My Lady…I'm sick of it!"

"We are your guardians my lady," Mars replied patiently, having been asked this question numerous times before, "It would be inappropriate for us to address you as anything else. Is that all you wanted to ask me?"

"No _Mars_," Serenity answered, stressing her planetary title, "It seems that my mother has decided to betroth me to some Terran Barbarian. You need to stop it."

"I beg your pardon my lady?" Mars asked incredulously.

"You heard me," Serenity complained, "You four are my guardians, my protectors. Protect me from this wedding or else."

"Or else what _my lady?_" Mars ground out.

"Or I'll tell my mother you've been lax in your duties towards me and have allowed me to run roughshod over the staff," Serenity replied smugly, "And, the second the crystal is mine, you'll really regret not listening to me. I heard mother say that the crystal is what gives you your 'spectacular powers.'"

Mars' eyes narrowed at this threat. It seemed as though the Princess was becoming more like her mother day by day. Her selfish disregard for anyone other than herself had been fostered by her mother since day one. Her four guardians had always been on hand to snap to whenever the Princess wanted anything and she viewed this situation as nothing different than the norm. Mars doubted she even noticed that her guardians hadn't aged a day since she had known them. In fact, they currently appeared only a year or two older than their charge. However their charge didn't have that much power yet and both Mars and Serenity knew it. "Or, I could just go straight to your mother with this information myself and spare both of us a lot of trouble," Mars told the petulant young woman, "Just meet him Your Highness. Who know? You might end up liking him, you never know."

"You suck you know," came the immature reply, "All four of you gave me the same answer. Always sucking up to my mom's decisions."

_ You have no idea yet Princess._

_

* * *

_

_Makoto_

She stood with the other inner senshi, arranged slightly behind their charge, their eyes averted to the ground. Her internal nature protested at this but she had long since learned the price of disobedience to Serenity. Makoto, observing this from within and feeling what she felt back then was disgusted at the whole situation, and had a feeling that it wasn't going to get any better anytime soon. Suddenly, a flurry of activity at the entrance to the throne room drew her attention up from the floor. Shooting a glance at her comrades, she grimly noted that they all wore the expressionless looks they had long ago perfected within Serenity's court. The Princess' face, however, was one of tense anticipation. "_He's here,"_ she hissed out of the side of her mouth to her guardians.

Queen Serenity glanced over at their group, eyeing the guardians with disapproval, as though they were the ones to breach protocol. She returned her attention to the entrance and signalled to have their guests brought in.

_** "Crown Prince Endymion of Elysian and his Guard, King-General Kunzite of the North, King-General Jadeite of the East, King-General Nephrite of the West, and King-General Zoicite of the South."**_

Following this announcement, the Prince himself entered, flanked by his guardians. Dark-haired, blue-eyed and clad in ceremonial armour, the Prince created quite a stir among the Lunar court as he strode forward and sank into a bow before the throne. "Your Majesty," he began, his voice a rich baritone, "Thank you for welcoming us to you kingdom. I hope that today marks the beginning of a long alliance between our peoples."

_ Here's hoping what she did to us doesn't happen to you,_ Makoto thought to herself as she turned slightly for another peek at Serenity, "_I guess not everything is different. She's certainly smitten with Endymion._

Returning her attention to the court niceties playing out before her, she locked eyes with the brown-eyed King-General across from her.

_

* * *

_

_Ami_

"Hermia, talk to me," Zoicite pleaded, "Help me to understand. None of this makes sense."

"Just drop it Zoicite," Mercury replied, her expression pained, "Please."

"I can't," He answered her, following her across the empty library, "I've been doing my research, Endymion didn't want to go blind into this alliance. What I found doesn't make any sense and I had to do quite a bit of digging to find what I did. Why did you suddenly give up your sovereignty to follow Serenity? Why give up that kind of power? To guard the Princess? I mean, no offence, Endymion has come to love her in these past months but still…"

"You can't understand Zoicite," Mercury crumpled down onto the floor, "You can't know. You have to forget this, forget what you found. If Serenity found out…"

"I want to try Hermia," he replied, "You're hurting and it makes me want to cry. These past few months here have revealed something to me sweetheart. I love you. I want to help you, to understand you. Please let me in."

Mercury looked up at him through tear-filled lashes, indecision and love clear in her eyes. Finally, she took a deep breath and seemed to find her resolve. Looking around, she formed an opaque bubble around the two of them to ensure privacy and began speaking, "It all started with a crystal…"

_

* * *

_

_Rei_

"We can't keep meeting like this," Mars said quietly, as she tried to burrow closer to her companion, his meagre cloak covering the two of them as they lay beneath the starlight in a small clearing in the Lunar Woods.

"I know," came her lover's reply.

"If Serenity found out…"

"For God's sake Enya, stop living your life in fear of that woman!"

"I can't Jade," she replied sadly, "She controls us. Until the end of time."

"Don't talk like that," Jadeite replied, bringing her closer against him, "We'll find a way. Even if Endymion won't help us."

"You told Endymion?" Mars demanded, bolting upright, "You gave your word. You know how he feels about the Princess."

"No," Jadeite answered slowly, "We haven't told him. He does love Serenity, and the Golden Crystal of Elysian ensures that her mother cannot have power over him. One of the court mages, Lady Beryl, thinks she might be able to help us. She doesn't know everything but Kunzite has met with her already and we're all going to go see her when we return to Earth at the end of the week."

"Are you sure about this?" Mars asked, "I'm getting a bad vibe about this. I don't think we should involve anyone else."

"We're sure," Jadeite replied, giving her a soft kiss, "I love you, just like Kunzite loves Venus, Nephrite loves Jupiter, and even Zoi loves Mercury. It's that love that will set you free from this slavery. All will be well."

* * *

_Author POV_

"We're under attack! Under attack!"

The formal engagement festivities ground to a halt as the two Mau advisors to the Queen, Luna and Artemis, came charging into the ballroom, shouting the previous words. They skidded to a halt before the Queen. "From where?" she asked coolly, her eyes straying to the four guardians at the side of the ballroom.

Surely none of them would be so foolish as to attempt rebellion. "A dark cloud heads at us from the Earth. All the other planets are already under attack!"

All eyes swung to Endymion, who stood at the centre of the ballroom, the Princess in his arms. He looked mildly panicked. "It was under control," he told the gathered crowd, "We'd been having difficulties with a force calling themselves the Dark Kingdom but they aren't that powerful. We'd managed to defeat them in every battle. I left my guardians to deal with them."

"Something must have happened to them then," Artemis said coldly, "Clearly since one can only deduce that this 'Dark Kingdom' of yours is headed directly here."

His words were punctuated with a large blast that rocked the palace. Queen Serenity took charge of the situation, "Endymion, get my daughter out of here. Senshi, gather the army and meet these invaders head on. I'm heading to the Prayer Room to focus the energy of the crystal."

Venus hesitated for a moment, "Your Majesty, we're still first-stage…"

"And first-stage is where you'll stay," the queen replied, "If you can't defeat this enemy at first-stage then you deserve whatever you get."

"Of course Your Highness," Venus spat out, turning on her heel, "Let's go ladies, time for us to do our duty."

The remaining three senshi eyed their queen coldly before following Venus out onto the battlefield.

The scene outside was chaotic. Most of the Lunar army had already deployed but the enemy was utilizing troops that were far from human. Their numbers were severely outmatched and dropping steadily as the battle wore on. The senshi took position at the head of their forces, their most elementary attacks clearing swathes from the enemy side. Suddenly, their foe paused, and began to retreat, heading over a hill to their rear. The Lunar troops began to cheer, believing that they had driven the enemy back but the four women who led them knew better, and moved into better defensive positions to wait. They didn't have long to wait. No sooner were they in position when four figures became apparent at the crest of the hill.

"Kunzite."

"Nephrite."

"Zoicite."

"And Jadeite," Mars finished, "It not them, not anymore."

A cackling filled the air around them, as a figure rose up into the air behind Endymion's former generals. "How clever," a sinister voice said, "The little firebug recognizes the hand of Metallia upon them. But I wonder if she realizes why? These four little darlings came to me, begging for my assistance in freeing their beloveds from mean, old Serenity. So I, the soul of generosity, am giving them the assistance that they so desperately craved. You'll be free all right. And they will be the ones to do so. Shitennou, destroy these four."

"Yes Queen Beryl," the four replied as one, advancing on the women they loved, their eyes now black as the night surrounding them.

* * *

Queen Serenity stumbled out of the Prayer Room to survey the carnage wrought upon her kingdom. She had felt the deaths of all the senshi, inner and outer, their losses channelling more power into her crystal. With that power she had been able to seal Metallia, Beryl and the Dark Kingdom but it had cost her more than she expected. Her daughter was dead, her kingdom was in ruins and she could feel her own life slipping away from her. Still clutching the Moon Wand, she collapsed against a fallen pillar and began to sob. Everything she had worked for was gone. Something warm nudged against her hand. She turned her head to see Luna and Artemis watching her expectantly. "It can't end like this. I won't let it end like this." 

With her last breath, Queen Serenity made a final wish and released the Moon Wand, the crystal using the power of the nine planets to make that wish come true years into the future.

_

* * *

_

_Rei_

Gasping, Rei shot up from the floor, the memories she had just re-experienced dancing across her eyes. She could hear the others around her, gulping in air. Glancing at the clock, she was shocked to find out that only three hours had passed since they had cast the spell, it had felt more like three lifetimes.

"Well, that certainly wasn't what I was expecting."

* * *

AN. Oooookkayy. So, again, it's been a while, but my computer decided to bite the big one and it took forever to repair. Also, I haven't been in the best frame of mind lately. A lot's been happening and none of it good…or, very little of it good. I know this chapter skips over huge chunks of time but I think this is like, the longest chapter I've written ever, and I wrote it straight through over the course of four hours, just sat down and started typing. I decided to post it because I know there are people waiting to see it. I'll probably do a revision if enough people get annoyed with my 3 am grammar. I was inspired to write for this story after watching the entire SailorStars season on YouTube. Especially at the end where the inners jump in front of Sailormoon and the Starlights, taking the killing blast for them. That's why everyone betrays Usagi stories annoy me. I mean, honestly, Rei took the bullet for her. Whatever, review if you like it. F- - - yourself if you don't. I'm tired. I need reviews to keep writing. You might see chunks of what happened in between the time jumps and the outers in flashback later in the story if I get enough feedback. CIAO. 


	5. Valley of Dying Stars

**Broken Melody**

Chapter Four: Valley of Dying Stars

Disclaimer: If I owned this I wouldn't be writing fanfic now would I?

_The eyes are not here_

_There are no eyes here_

_In this valley of dying stars_

_In this hollow valley_

_This broken jaw of our lost kingdoms._

_-T.S Eliot, **The Hollow Men**, v. 53-56_

* * *

"Well…that was unexpected."

All eyes swung to Setsuna, the speaker of that fitting statement. "It's my fault," Minako choked out, tears gathering in her eyes, "It's all my fault. God. I can't believe I was so stupid."

"Minako, get a hold of yourself," Michiru told the younger girl firmly, "Serenity fooled us all. I had reservations back then, but they weren't strong enough that I acted on them. This is just as easily my fault, or Ami's fault, or Haruka's fault or anyone else's. None of us is without blame but there's nothing that can change that."

"The question is," Rei said thoughtfully, "What do we do now?"

"I think the battle against Galaxia weakened the crystal's hold on us," Hotaru replied, "That much is obvious. Usagi doesn't have the same level of control over the crystal that her mother did so she must not realize that the power is returning to us, especially since she upped us to our fourth-stage transformations. Her mother would never have allowed us to retain that much power. When she sent us she ensured we would never question Usagi's place."

"With our power levels this high and Usagi's ignorance and inexperience with the crystal we should be able to sever the crystal's connection to us completely," Ami put in excitedly.

"What would happen if we did that?" Makoto questioned.

"The crystal would shatter and our full power would be returned," Setsuna replied calmly.

"And Usagi?" Hotaru asked, hesitation evident in her voice3.

"Theoretically, she should be fine," Ami assured her, "The crystal wouldn't be drawing on her live force like it has done in the past. She would simply revert to the basic illusory powers her mother possessed all those years ago."

Haruka nodded in acceptance of this answer, "Let's do it then. We're here, we're focused, and we're even seated in a circle. Let's reclaim what's rightfully ours."

_

* * *

_

_Mamoru Chiba's Apartment_

"Usako? Are you all right?" Mamoru asked his fiancée when she stumbled slightly on her way in.

"She's been getting weaker," Luna put in worriedly, coming in with Artemis directly behind the princess, "The crystal has been growing dimmer this past month and Artemis and I…well…"

"Well what?" Mamoru demanded, gently helping Usagi to his couch.

"We think the senshi might have something to do with it," Artemis finished.

"That's ridiculous," Mamoru replied facing the two cats, "The senshi are the most loyal individuals I know."

"Mamo-chan's right," Usagi added in, "I can't believe they would betray _me_ like that."

"Then where are they?" Luna questioned, "Why haven't they shown up to investigate what is going on? They should have reported to you hours ago."

"Luna," Usagi replied, "The senshi don't _report_ to me, we have meetings and discuss things as a group…"

She was cut off as the crystal flashed, sending her to her knees, clutching at the broach that held it. Mamoru was instantly by her side, supporting her. "What is it?" he cried.

"It's like something is trying to suck the power from the crystal," she answered through gritted teeth, focusing on keeping the power contained, "I'm not sure if I can stop it."

"You have to concentrate Usagi," Luna ordered, "Push the intruders away."

"Mamoru," Artemis asked, "Can you use the Golden Crystal to see who our enemy is?"

"I'll try," Mamoru replied, drawing his own power source out, "I'll try to shield Usako at the same time."

Grasping his beloved's hand and closing his own eyes, Mamoru sank into his power, guiding it to the energy of the Silver Crystal. What he found there was chaos. Opening his magical senses, he could see the pulsating core of the crystal, greatly diminished from its former glory. Surrounding it were streamers of various colours spiralling in all directions. Looking closer, he could see that the streamers originated from the centre of the crystal and clearly were the source of the loss of power. Focusing his energy, he created a golden shield around the core, severing the ribbons of power. That completed, he turned and picked up one of the loose streamers before it could fade from existence. This streamer was a dark red in colour and was undulating in his grasp making it hard to hold on to. _Strange_, he thought, extending his senses even further, _It feels familiar…almost like…Rei._

Disturbed by this thought, he dropped the red streamer and it vanished from his sight. Immediately, he turned and snatched up another streamer, this one an icy blue, scared at what this would reveal to him. _Ami._ He repeated this again and again, finally confirming his worst fear. _It's true. Luna and Artemis were right. The senshi have betrayed Usagi. They **will** pay for hurting her._

Unnoticed by anyone in his apartment, the four stones that he kept on his desk gave off a faint glow and vanished.

* * *

_Residence of the Outer Senshi_

"What the fuck was that!" Makoto swore, picking her self up from where she had been thrown.

"Backlash," Hotaru grumbled, "Someone's trying to protect Serenity."

"Endymion," Rei confirmed grimly, "I can still taste that Golden Energy. He's definitely pissed but he can't stop us for long."

"A little longer," Setsuna amended, her gaze unfocused, "He's coming, and he's bringing Usagi, Luna and Artemis."

"Fantastic," Haruka snarled, "I want to have a few words with them."

"As long as it's just words," Ami pleaded, "Remember, this is a new life and Usagi isn't completely guilty."

"She stood by and let her mother treat us the way she did," Minako said coldly, "She never even bothered to learn that we had names apart from our titles. That makes her guilty by association and ignorance."

Even as Minako finished speaking, a golden glow began to fill the centre of the room. Before it could fade, Hotaru raised a hand and spoke a single word: "Shield."

Mamoru, Usagi, Luna and Artemis appeared to find themselves surrounded by a translucent purple wall, the rest of the senshi watching them with grim faces from the other side. "What is the meaning of this?" Luna demanded, "Saturn, drop the shield now, that's an order!"

"I'm sorry, I don't take orders from minions," Hotaru replied, her voice as cold as ice.

"As for what's going on, I think that should be fairly obvious," Haruka drawled, "Considering that you and Artemis have known for a while exactly what was going on."

"Attacking Luna isn't going to solve anything," Mamoru said firmly, "What I want to know is why you have launched an attack on Usagi. Why are you trying to steal the crystal's power."

The senshi burst into laughter, infuriating Mamoru even more, "Have you all lost your minds? This is mutiny! High Treason!"

"More like we've regained them," Rei said scathingly, all traces of amusement gone, "And you're right, it is High Treason, just not on our parts."

"I don't understand," Mamoru continued, sounding less angry and more confused.

"Stop this," Usagi pleaded, "Why are you doing this to me? What have I done to you?"

"You still don't remember do you, _princess_?" Makoto sneered, "Why don't you ask Luna to enlighten you?"

"Luna?"

"Ignore them Usagi," Luna coaxed, "They've gone power mad. They're trying to steal everything from you. They want the earth to be destroyed."

"Enough!" Mamoru bellowed, transforming into Endymion, "This is getting us nowhere. Just answer our questions!"

To emphasize his point, he swung his sword around to hit the barrier that surrounded him. To his shock, the barrier merely shimmered and remained in place with Hotaru showing no ill effects. "Try that again," Haruka growled, "I dare you."

"The amount of power…" Artemis breathed, unable to finish.

"**_Her_** power," Rei confirmed, stepping closer to the barrier.

"It can't be," Luna said, sounding lost, "It can't. Queen Serenity ensured it."

"So you do remember everything," Setsuna put in, eyeing the two cats, "And you did your best to make sure we never would."

Mamoru, now recovered from surprise demanded, "Just answer me before I use my crystal and bring this entire house down!"

"Queen Serenity stole our power and forced us to serve her."

"WHAT?"

* * *

AN. This chapter is definitely shorter than the last but I wanted to get it out and look! It ended in a sort-of cliffie! What will happen next? What about those mysterious disappearing stones? I've already got the next chapter mapped out so all I need are reviews! I only got three bloody reviews for my last chapter! C'mon people! Okay, I need less caffeine, you can tell by all the exclamation points I used, but seriously, I need more reviews or I won't be able to continue on…at least 5? Ten would make me really, really happy…Okay, back to work on B & S (hint, hint). 


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